Signal-lantern.



PATENTED MAYA 19, 1908.

G. H. ROLVPES. SIGNAL-LANTERN. APPLICATION 11.21) JAN. 27, 1908.

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foooooooe- UNITE STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. ROLFES7 OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO HANDLAN-BUOK MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI7 A CORPORATION.

SIGN AL-LANTE RN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed January 27, 1908. Serial No. 412,790.

To all whomv it may concern:

Be it known that I7 GEORGE II. RoLFEs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Lanterns7 of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication.

My invention relates to a signal lantern and is in the nature of an improvement upon the signal lantern shown and described in Letters-Patent of the United States No. 846,104 issued March 5th7 1907 `to Alexander II. Handlan7 Jr.

The present invention has for its object yto provide a more el'licient and durable device for shifting the colored glass plates in the lantern forming the subject matter of the patent before mentioned and a means for preventing the accidental movement of said shifting device which is less liable to become impaired during the use of such device.

Figure I is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of a signal lantern having my improvement incorporated therein. Fig. II is a horizontal section taken on irregular line II-II/v Fig. I. Fig. III is an elevation of my device looking at the inner end thereof and with the rack operating pinion partly broken away to. afford a view of the members back of it. Fig. IV is an enlarged vertical section taken on line IV-IV, Fig. I. Fig. V is an enlarged fragmentary view of the rack operating pinion. Fig. VI

is an enlarged elevation of the nut by which the rack operating pinion is held to the crank shaft. Fig. VII is an enlarged end elevation of the crank shaft of my device.

Experience has proven that in the use of the lantern shown and described in the Letters-Patent I have mentioned, the means whereby the frames that hold the colored glass plates are shifted is not sufliciently durable and furthermore that the spring plate utilized to hold the frame shifting device from accidental movement is ineflicient for the reason that said spring plate becomes Worn away at its ends which rest against the rack operative pinion of the device to give the desired spring action and consequently the utility of the spring is then lost. The

the wearing away of the pinion at the point touched by the ends of the spring plate. The ydevice to be herein described efliectually overcomes the objectionable characteristics just pointed out.

In the accom anying drawings: 1 designates the body ol' a lantern which is'provided with the usual lens openings 2 and which is adapted to support the lenses or'bulls-eyes 3 located at said openings. At the interior of the lantern body is an upper guide 4 located above the lens openings and a lower guide or track 5 located beneath said openings, both of said guides being curved in conformity to the curvature of the lantern body. The upper guide is made with a depending flange separated from the lantern body while the lower guide is made with an upwardly eX- tending flange separated from said body.

6 is a frame adapted to hold a colored glass plate 7 and which frame is adapted to be shifted to and from the lens openings in the lantern body.

S is a rack attached to or forming a part of the colored glass frame at its lower end and which is adapted to travel upon the lower guide or track 5.

All of the parts of the lantern thus far particularly described are to be found in the Letters-Patent hereinbefore mentioned and no invention per Se is herein claimed for them.

9 designates a bearing block that is rigidly mounted in the lantern body 1 beneath the lower guide 5 and which is provided at its inner end, that occupies a position within said body, with a flange 10. The bearing 9 is adapted to be inserted through an opening provided therefor in the lantern body so that its flange will bear against the inner face of said body and when the bearing is put in place it is permanently secured to the body by the application of solder. Extending into the bearing block 9 from its inner end is an annular s ring pocket 11 that surrounds a central hollbw stem portion 12 of the bearing block, as seen in Figs. III and IV.

13 is a crank shaft that passes loosely through the center of the bearing block 9 and the hollow stem portion 12 so as to be susceptible of rotation therein. This crank shaft is provided at its inner end which eX- tends beyond the inner end of the bearing block with a threaded flat sided stem 14.

same loss has also been in part occasioned by l 15 is a pinion that is fitted to the flat sided `stem of the crank shaft and which is adapted to mesh With the rack 8 of the colored glass frame 6. The pinion is held in place upon said stem by a nut 16. It Will be apparent that When the pinion 15 is arranged in mesh With the rack 8 and the crank shaft 18 is rotated, a desired movement may be imparted to the rack 8 to shift the colored glass frame and the colored glass mounted in said frame.

For the purpose of providing an efficient means for yieldingly holding the pinion 15 on the crank shaft by Which it is carried, from accidental rotation, due to jarring of the signal lantern in which said parts are present, IutiliZe a coil spring 17 that is located in the annular spring pocket 1 1 of the bearing block 9 and the end of which that is located at the outer end of said spring pocket, bears against the pinion 15. This spring presents onlya small bearing surface to the pinion due to its ty e and it is therefore susceptible of very littlie Wearowing to its contact with the pinion, or of causing Wearof the surface of the pinion against Which it bears and consequently the spring Will retain its efficiency for a much longer period than the spring util ized for the same purpose in the Letters-Patent hereinbefore mentioned.

I desire further to draw particular attention to the meritorious construction of the bearing block in my present invention, and also to the manner of mounting the rack operating pinion of my device upon the crank shaft, as distinguished from the corresponding parts in the patent before mentioned. It Will be seen that the bearing block in my improvement is a much more rigid and durable one, and also that by mounting the pinion on a flat sided stem of the crank shaft and securing it in place by the nut 16, I furnish a construction that is far more durable and less liable to become impaired in use.

Under ordinary conditions the nut 16 Would serve to retain the pinion in place upon the crank shaft, but I prefer, for additional security, to solder the nut to the stem of the shaft, after it has been mounted on said shaft.

I claim:

1. The combination with a lantern body, of a glass plate holding frame movable in said body, a rack carried by said frame, 'a bearing block rigidly mounted in said body, a crank shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing block, a pinion mounted upon said crank shaft and adapted to mesh With said rack, and a coil spring mounted Within said bearing block and resting against the face of said pinion, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination With a lantern body, of a glass plate holding frame movable in said body, a rack carried by said frame, a bearing block rigidly mounted in said body and provided with an annular spring pocket extending thereinto from its inner end, the bearing block being provided with a hollow stem that is surrounded by said annular spring pocket, a crank shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing block and extending through its hollovsr stem, a pinion mounted on said crank shaft and adapted to mesh With said rack, and a coil spring located in the annular spring pocket of said bearing block and adapted to bear against the face of said pinion, substantially as set forth.

GEO. H. ROLFES.

AIn the presence of LILY Rosfr, E. S. KNIGHT. 

